EAST ZAMBIA OPERATORS - puku
pan safari lodge
Puku Pan is
a small but unique lodge on an isolated stretch
of the Kafue river in the Namwala West game management
area. It about four hours drive or a 40-minute
flight from Lusaka and is located deep in brachystegia
woodland that is broken by extraordinarily shaped
kopjes. For those interested in bird life or fishing,
Puku Pan is a delight; well over three hundred
species of birds have been identified in the area
and bream, barbell, catfish and pike are plentiful.
For those interested in wildlife and conservation,
the populations of kudu, impala, puku, hartebeest
and bushbuck are high while those of kudu, elephant,
zebra and lion are growing as the game conservation
efforts of the lodge owners and the animals recognize
the lodge and its environs as a safe haven.
The lodge is named after the
Puku, an antelope similar in size and behaviour
to the impala but closely related to the lechwe.
Livingstone was the first white man to describe
this antelope and he retained the name given to
it by the people of the area. The cottages are
built along the river with views across its 200-meter
expanse with hippo and crocodile visible throughout
the day, and the hippos stroll through the lodge
grounds during the night to graze further inland.
Each cottage has a large verandah and separate
shower and/or bath and toilet, with plenty of
hot water. The cottages provide accommodation
for 14 guests and are built of cement block and
wood, and finished in local timber, thatch and
mud daub. The bar and dining areas overlook the
river providing a spectacular view and there is
a sheltered viewing area with comfortable seats
on the swamp and pools at the back of the lodge.
There is a double-roomed cottage for self-catering
guests. A campsite with shower and toilet block
and a two storeyed viewing deck has been constructed
down river from the lodge.
On foot, in an open Land Rover,
or by boat. Puku Pan offers an incredible game
viewing experience. No gates, no fences, no other
tourists. Just your small group and an experienced
guide wandering free in nature's kingdom. Here
you may see big game like elephant, lion and leopard,
and of coarse, the plentiful antelope that roam
the entire area.
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